Dispensing device



April 1, 1930. r -F. CARRCLL 5 DISPENSING DEVICE Filed June 25, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Frank Carroll,-

I Momma April 1930. F/CAROLL 1,752,885

DISPENSING DEVICE Filed June 25, 1928 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented Apr. 1,1930 PATENT OFFICE FRANK CARROLL, OF SAN ENSELMO, CALIFORNIA DISPENSINGDEVICE Application filed June 25, 1928. Serial No. 288,272.

This invention relates to dispensing devices, and particularly to adevice which is adapted to dispense an article therefrom after insertionof a coin within said device.

More particularly the device is useful for dispensing paper, such astoilet seat covers, toilet paper, hand towels, and the like, which areto be charged for.

'At the present time and considering an m adaptation of the invention,toilet seat covers are comparatively new upon the market and whichtoilet seat covers are now used for sanitary reasons. So far as theinventor is aware, however, no suitable dispensing apparatus has beenprovided. for such covers. The present invention provides a simple meanswhereby covers of this class may be readily dispensedfor use.

The invention has for further objects the provision of a dispensingdevice which is simple of construction, easy tooperate, fool proof inoperation, inexpensive of manufacture, and generally superior for thepurpose intended. v

25 With the above and other objects in view,

7 the invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts andmembers and the assemblage of the device, as well as the interrelationof said parts-and members, all as will fully appear in the detaileddescription and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of the invention, 1

Figure 2 is a fragmentar cross sectional view illustratingcertain of theoperative features of the invention in a certain position,

. Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2,cer-

tain of the parts being in changed relation,

Figure 4 is a view: similar to Figures 2 and 3 with the working parts ina third position,

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of certain of the operativefeatures of the invention, V

Figure 6is a transverse sectional view of the invention showing toiletseat covers therer in and which are to be dispensed by thedevice,

Figure? is a view showing a dispensing operation of one of the toiletseat covers, and

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view illustrating features of theinvention.

Referring now with particularity to the drawings, the improved inventionas an entirety is designated by A, and the same includes a container atwithin which is housed certain means I) for ejecting some article, suchas sheets of paper 0- from said container responsive to aturning-operation of the means b by the means d, which means d isreleased (so for operation by means 6 when a coin or Similar articleactuates the means 6. I have also provided means 7 whichnormally'maintains the papers 0 in engagement with the means '6. Thecasing a includes top and bottom .65

members 2 and .1, a rear wall 3, a'front wall 4, side walls 5 and 6, anda partition wall 7. The bottom wall 1 is in hinged relation to the rearwall 3, as shown at 8, and the top 2 is hinged to thefront wall 4 at 9,and the 7 rear wall 3 is provided with transverse openings (not shown)whereby said rear wall may be secured to some supporting structure andwhen the rear wall is closed, thetop may be closed. so that a flangedportion 10 will over lap the part 11 of said rear wall. A lock (notshown) may secure the top against being opened. The top is slotted at12and provided with an upstanding flange 13. Likewise a guide member 14extends both within and s0 outwardly from the container and which memberis secured between the side wall 5 and the partition 7,. This member iscurved at its inner end, as shown at 15. The means I) is mounteddirectly below and spaced from the curved end 15 of the member 141, andsaid means 6 constitutes a two-part roller, the parts being indicatedas'16 and 17, which are separable and with one of said parts having asubstantially curved surface while the other portion 17 isflattened at18. This roller carries gudgeons at both ends. One of said gudgeonsisreceived in a bearing 19 inthe side ,5 and the other gudgeon is passedthrough a bearing 20 in the partition 7 and carries a gear 21, whichgear is locatedbetween the partition 7 and the wall 6. The gear 21 isadapted to mesh with a second gear 22 mounted onv a shaft 23 which shaftis journaledbetween the partition7 and the wall 6, and which shaftcarries at its outer extremity and exterior of the wall 6 a handle 24.This shaft 23 likewise has secured thereto a ratchet gear 25andinterposed between the gears 22 and25 is a cam disk 26. This cam diskis likewise secured to the shaft by pinning or otherwise. It will benoted that this cam disk is of the type wherein the edge portion thereofgradually increases in radius from the point marked 27 to the zone 28and then gradually decreases in radius whereby there is formed ashoulder or notched portion 29. Adapted to cooperate with the cam is themeans e which constitutes a lever whichis journaled between thepartition and the side 6, as shown at 30. It will be noted that thelever is enlarged on one side of the journaled portion thereof andprovided with a nose portion 31. This lever is of the gravity actuatedtype, it being observed that that portion of the lever oppositetheheaviest portion is of comparatively light construction. Furthermore,the nose portion is grooved or slotted,

as shown at 32, so as to embrace the said cam.

Ordinarily the nose portion is carried upon the edge of the cam, asindicated in Figure 5. This lever e is guided as to its movement whilethe nose portion thereof is riding upon the cam by the means designatedgenerally as 33. A gravity actuated pawl in the form of a lever 34 isadapted to cooperate with the ratchet gear 25. This lever has one endthereof curved at 35 and the opposite end is weighted as shown at 36,the said lever as an entirety being journaled between the partition walland the wall 6. Fitted to the cover 2 and on the inside thereof is acoin chute 37 and this coin chute communicates with a coin receivingmember 38 and whereby any coin passed within an opening 39 in the member38 is directed through said chute for contactwith the end 40 of thelever c. It will be noted that thislever is then tipped by the saidcoin, as shown in Figure 2, the end of said lever 40 resting upon theflat spring 41, this spring being carried by a suitable bracket 42secured to the partition wall 7. Mounted upon the side wall 5 and thepartition 7 is a pair of inclined tracks 43 and 44, and these tracks arebent so as to extend in part outwardly from their respective carryingmembers, as best shown in Flgure 5 at 46. Likewise the upper endeof eachtrack is formed witha curved notch 47.

The means 7 constituting a plate is adapted to have securedat its upperend a member 48, endsof which are provided with grooved wheels 49,thegrooved wheels traveling upon the trackways. Thelower end of saidplate is reversibly bent to provide an overlapped portion and a curvedportion 51. This member f acts as a follower for urging the means 0 intoengagement with the means 6.

y The operation, uses and advantages of the ClQ-VICBjUSt described areas follows It is intended that the device should hold any article,preferably paper or flat commodities which are to be dispensed therefromand in the present instance the invention is shown as adapted todispense individual toilet seat covers, said toilet seat covers beingpacked in stacks, as shown in Figure 6. The stack of covers is placedwithin the container in such a position that the follower f will bearagainst the lastof said covers, as shown in Figure 6. Normally the stackwould push the follower to a zone adjacent the curved cut-outportion 47and it is evident that the follower would tend to push the stack ofpapers forwardly so that the first of said papers would lie adjacent themeans I). The inclined tracks 43 and 44 direct the follower so that thesame is in engagement at all times with the stack ofpapers c. If a coinis inserted within the slot 39, it is directed by the chute 3? onto theend 40 of the lever e, and the weightof the coin will tip the nose ofthe lever upwardly to such a position that the nose isout of engagementwith the shoulder or notched portion 29 of the cam 28. This position isillustrated in Figure 2. The handle 24 may then be turned and the gear22 carried by said handle will rotate the gear 21.

The gear21 is secured to the means I). This with the surface of theleading paper member,

as shownin Figure 7, and which action will cause said paper member to beejected through the slot 12 of the casing. Likewise,

due to the shape of the cam, the nose portion of the lever 0 will beraised, as shown in Figure 3,,which will allow the coin to be droppedwithin the container. In other words, the coin is held in theposition ofFigure 2 until the cam acts to further lift the said lever.

The leaf spring 41 acts to maintain the lever c in engagement with thelimo]? the cam during movement thereof, although the said lever isgravity actuated as well. It will be evident that the ratchet lever andratchet wheel coact to prevent a reversal of movement of ii the handleafter the means I) has made a complete revolution.

Another valuable feature of the invention resides in the fact that eachtime the roller 1) is rotated, the stack of articles 0 is pushed i i:

backwardlyand then allowedto drop forwardly; This action is the combinedresult of theflat surface 18 and the part 17 of the roller and theuniformly curved surface 16, the uniformly "curved surface pushing thestack backwardly to move the follower up the track and after theuniformly curved surface has ceased contact with the paper member, theflat surface is suddenly contacted which allows the stack to again moveforwardly. This acts as an agitating means so that the stack of papersis at all times kept in action and in a measure prevented from slippingand rendering the machine possibly inoperative, Furthermore, this actionto push the stack backwardly and then allow it to come forwardly resultsin a swinging motion of the follower due to the fact that the followercontacts at an upper portion thereof with the stack while the curvedportion 51 acts to space the follower in part away from said stack. Thispermits the follower to have a slight swinging action.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications and variations, aswell as adaptationsof the invention, may be made in departure from theparticular description and method of use without departing from the truespirit of the invention.

Having thus disclosed my inventiomwhat I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

A dispensing device including ,a casing formed with a dispensing slot, aguide wall within said casing and communicating with said slot, inclinedtrackways within the casing, a follower movably suspended from saidtrackways, a roller beneath said guide wall, said follower normallyurging a stack of papers, to be dispensed from said casing, against saidguide wall and said roller, the position of said roller beneath saidwall being such as to cause a bend in said stack, and said roller beingformed with a frictional part and with a tread adapted to agitate saidstack of papers during rotation of the roller and to move one of saidpapers through said slot.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at LosAngeles,

California, this 31st day of May, 1928.

FRANK CARROLL.

